sewhappy Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 :mad::mad::mad:I am soooooo frustrated!! I know we must check the tension whenever we change the bobbin! Is there a good starting point? I swear I go thru 1/4 of the bobbin BEFORE I ever get it right!:mad::mad: Please share the secret formula!!!!!! I promise not to tell anyone if you don\'t want me to. I will make you cookies! Sewhappy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewhappy Posted June 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 Please help BEFORE I eat the brownies DD made this AM!! Sewhappy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhend Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 It took me some time before I could get it right quickly. I always use the drop test and sold my TOWA gauge. I keep the bobbin loose enought to slide slowly down held by it\'s own weight and work the top from there. I always do a test on scrap after a bobbin change, but most of the time no adjustment needed if using the same thread. Keep working it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewhappy Posted June 25, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 Renae- Thank you for the phone call!! & Jhend your info is basically what Renae said !! Tell me where to send the cookies!! I will be back at my machine around 2:00 & I let you both know how it did!! BTW I only had one small brownie LOLOL Sewhappy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyeQ Posted June 25, 2008 Report Share Posted June 25, 2008 Sewhappy, I did only the drop test with my first machine. Lowered my hand from the bottom of the bobbin case and it fell to the floor (stayed on my hand actually). But when I got my Freedom I had to set my tension LOOSER then that. How do you go looser than free fall loose? How do you measure it? 2 words Towa gage. Now, if you\'re like I was before, and like it sounds like Joanne is now, you don\'t need a Towa. You\'re perfect tension is one that will "read" on a drop test, but if you need it looser, you\'ll want a gage. JMHO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethDurand Posted June 26, 2008 Report Share Posted June 26, 2008 Personally, I couldn\'t live without my Towa. Usually, I keep the same setting, but every once in a while there\'s this weird bobbin that needs adjustment. For those of you who can do the drop test, more power to you! Beth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewhappy Posted June 26, 2008 Author Report Share Posted June 26, 2008 So where do you get the Towa gauge? Longarm supplies?? Hey Beth - good to see you post !!!Have you been so busy since you left your job?? Sewhappy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramona-quilter Posted June 26, 2008 Report Share Posted June 26, 2008 Sewhappy - I agree with Tracye. I check every single bobbin with my Towa gauge before I put it in the machine. I really hate tension problems. Some other things to consider when talking about tension: If you wind your own, are you holding onto the thread tail until you have to full wraps of thread on the bobbin in the winder? If you let go too soon, you get a sloppy inconsistent wind on your bobbin. I blow out my bobbin case every time I change the bobbin. I also blow out the bobbin race area. It only takes a tiny piece of fluff to ruin your tension. I also use alcohol to clean out my bobbin cases about every 3 or 4 quilts. If you drop a bobbin case on a concrete floor, it may never be the same. I run my bobbins (with Towa) at 20-24 for cotton. That is a change from my old tension. A friend took the tension class at MQS and was told that the bobbin tension needs to be about 20. That includes poly thread. Now I have not tried this on King Tut thread which usually likes to run sloppy loose on my machine. And last but certainly not least...make sure that your machine is threaded correctly ( more/less holes in thread guides changes your tension). And be absolutely certain that your top thread is inside the tension disks, not riding on the outside. Linda Rech (ffq-lar) does a top tension test which I have adopted because it works for me. With the machine threaded all the way thru the needle, pull the top thread toward the back of the machine. The spring on the top tension (near tension disks) should move to 8 o\'clock while you are holding onto that top thread. When you release the thread, you\'ll notice that the tension spring comes back up to 9 o\'clock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwltnldy Posted June 26, 2008 Report Share Posted June 26, 2008 Ok, my top tension spring comes back up at 10:00, not 9. Is there something wrong? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liz2075 Posted June 26, 2008 Report Share Posted June 26, 2008 Sewhappy, I don\'t know who else besides the Prodigy machine company that sells the towa. However, I called them and they sent it. 803-327-2175 They had it at Mqs but ran out. I went to their site and it\'s not listed under items for sale. But they do sell it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qwltnldy Posted June 26, 2008 Report Share Posted June 26, 2008 You can order a TOWA gauge from Kings Men, too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merryjo2003 Posted June 26, 2008 Report Share Posted June 26, 2008 I would love to have a Towa, but need other stuff first. I\'ve done the drop test since the day I got my machine. Never have a problem. I rarely use the same color of thread on the top & bottom. I\'ve used white on the top and black in the bobbin and never had a pokie on either side. I set the bobbin tension, then sew on the side of the quilt within that little 1/4 inch margin to set the tension. Usually, it\'s just a top tension adjustment depending on the type of thread I\'m using. I tell my customers that 1/4 inch is mine! I tell them that\'s where I test for tension so their stitching will look good. So far, so good. Nobody\'s had a problem with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.